


damn your love, damn your lies

by afrocurl



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-12 22:16:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12969567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: Charles has loved his best friend Erik for as long as he can remember.Too bad Erik's getting married and missing the whole point. Until Erik suddenly does see.





	damn your love, damn your lies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JackyJango](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackyJango/gifts).



“I’m here today to wish all the best to Erik and Magda as they start a life together!

“As the best man, it’s my duty to tell everyone all of Erik’s worst qualities - and I plan to do so in great detail.”

There was a grumble from Erik. “Sorry Erik, you picked me as best man, it’s my time to shine.

“So, Erik’s been my best friend since we were in elementary school and there are stories that are not appropriate for today.

“He is a dogged friend, a fiercely loyal man, and a gas at parties when you get some tequila in him.

“Regardless of all of my horrid stories, I know that Erik’s a kind man, who loves deeply and not often. He has loved Magda from nearly the moment they met, and I know they’ll be the happiest of all my married friends.

“He won’t say no to a thing she says and he’ll happily do every ‘Honey do’ she can imagine.

“I want to wish Erik and Magda the best; join me please!”

-

Charles cried as soon as he left the reception, safely away from all the prying eyes in his hotel room.

He couldn’t say no to Erik when asked to be his best man, but it ate at him to watch Erik with Magda.

It wasn’t that Charles didn’t like her - he did - but he loved Erik more. He wanted Erik to himself; had wanted Erik since they were teens and Charles came out to Erik.

Erik was his everything.

Now Charles had no one; Erik couldn’t take all of the time he spent with Charles now.

Charles cried again as he imagined what life would be like now.

-

It was harder than Charles imagined to watch Erik and Magda as a couple - married - but Charles could only do that. The three of them were together now at the bar as they chatted about their days.

“So I just want to be more than an adjunct professor. Charles you know right?”

Charles knew all too well what the business of education was like. “Yeah, it’s a bitch. But if you want, I can try and see if there are openings in Fine Arts at Columbia.”

“Been there; done that. But thanks. I’ll find something soon, I know.” She sighed, but went back to her drink as if there weren’t other problems.

Erik just sat there, silent as the group continued to talk about something else.

-

“She’s not happy,” Erik said, voice a little hoarse from whatever had just happened. He had called Charles after another fight, this time after Magda had been let go from her work at CUNY.

“The market just won’t support as many professors as there are; she’s in a tough spot.”

“I know, but I wish I could help more.”

“You just need her to know you care and you’re listening. You’ll get through this.”

Charles half hoped there was little left to save for them, but he stopped himself from saying more. He’d never wish Erik’s relationship to fall apart.

-

Few things were better in Erik’s marriage, but Charles stood by his best friend, listening as every conversation about Magda’s job grew more and more tense.

Breaking his heart again and again had to be the definition of insanity for Charles, but he wouldn’t leave Erik as he needed counsel.

-

_three years later_

Erik stormed into the bar, his ire evident as Charles looked up from his drink. It wasn’t uncommon for Erik to be this upset, but today it was worse than normal.

“She’s leaving me,” Erik said. He had a heated look that spoke of he and Magda having fought before Erik arrived for their standing drinks after work.

“Why is Magda leaving you? She loves you; you love her.”

“But I can’t leave this job, she knows that. So she’s leaving me.”

“There’s no way around this?” Charles knew there wasn’t but he was going to ask all the same. Magda had talked to him so often since she found out she was getting less and less work at any number of schools that Charles could have predicted this two years ago.

Erik shook his head. “She’s been after a promotion for years and finally she has one in Chicago; she’s got that full time spot. I hoped she would find a better job here in New York, but all she found this year was Chicago.” 

“And this job is more important than her marriage?” Charles would never leave Erik if they were married, but Charles and Magda were clearly different people with different motivations. 

“After everything we’ve been through, yes, it is more important.” Erik sighed. 

“I’m so sorry,” Charles said, meaning it. Erik rarely took break-ups well, and it looked as though this one would be the worst of all. Erik had missed so many signs about what Magda really wanted, but it was difficult to reconcile academic life with high paying engineering jobs.

Erik loved Magda, but they had too many troubles since their marriage began: two miscarriages (that Charles knew of), Edie’s passing, that brief moment when Erik had no job before everything with Stark settled. It was too much on top of Magda’s aspirations.

Erik said nothing else, but called for a drink. Charles left Erik to wallow in quiet company, knowing just enough to see Erik through a tough night.

-

Charles stood by as Erik moved all of Magda’s suitcases into a taxi. It had been hard over the last three weeks as Erik watched the woman he loved walk away - slowly and carefully removing all of her books, her clothes, her life from their apartment.

It was awkward to see them just stand there and say stilted goodbyes, but it was over as soon as it started and Erik stood there.

Silent tears feel and Charles had no idea how to fix them.

-

_six months later_

Erik made it appear as if his life was back into working order, but Charles saw too many cracks in the facade.

Erik was moody - well moodier than usual - and less likely to share anything with Charles. It hurt after so many years of friendship, but Charles knew this was all hard on Erik.

“You know if you need to talk—“ and Erik would always shut him down.

-

It was hard enough to watch Erik suffer his divorce in quiet, but it was another thing to have no idea how to help Erik out. 

Charles had thought up myriad ideas to help Erik, but every time he tried to say one, Erik snapped.

“Erik, you have to do something,” Charles said after the fifth day of Erik shooting down ideas.

“I’m just trying to forget her.”

“You won’t forget her, but you can—“

“I can’t just ignore her.”

“You’re doing a good job of ignoring me and I’ve been your friend for twenty-five years.”

Charles stormed out, finally tired of all of Erik’s aborted attempts to move on.

-

Erik left fifteen messages that Charles ignored. Charles just needed Erik to finally realize there was a life for him outside of his marriage.

It just killed Charles to avoid his best friend.

-

“Will you listen?” Erik yelled through the door of Charles’ apartment.

“Are you listening? Has everything I said the last six weeks sunk into your head?”

No answer came for a few seconds. “I miss you.”

“As what? The friend you bitch to or—“

“What else are you?” Erik asked.

Charles slammed his head against the door. “Think of a better question, or what answer I might give before you try again.”

Silence.

-

“I’ve lost him,” Charles repeated.

“I’ve lost him and he won’t come back.” It still amazed Charles that he all but admitted to wanting Erik in a romantic way, but he was tired of Erik missing half of what Charles was trying to say.

Sure, Charles had been coy about everything he felt for Erik, but it wasn’t as if Erik was unaware that Charles was bi. Erik knew that almost as soon as Charles knew that.

Charles just didn’t want Erik thinking that all of this time as his friend was a ploy.

“How can we each keep fucking this up?”

He had no answer.

-

There was a note. Of course it was a note. Charles yelled; Erik yelled.

With a note, no one could yell.

_Charles,_

_I finally talked to Magda the other day; it was a long talk. She mentioned how much you knew about her frustrations with academia as if I knew._

_I said as much._

_She laughed._

_Then she said, “If you don’t think Charles loves you, he wouldn’t have helped me. You just didn’t see it.”_

_Well, I think I see it now._

_Dinner soon?_

_Erik_

Charles stared, shocked. Had Erik suggested a date?

He called to find out.

“Is this a date?” He asked without preamble.

“I guess,” Erik said. “I hadn’t thought of you that way.”

Oh this could be doomed. “Well, are you willing to try?”

“I’ve spent the last week thinking of what I’d like to try.”

“You mean when you’re sober?”

“Low blow, Charles, and yes. I forgot what it’s like to not have you around, and I think I figured out what you meant earlier.”

“Well, let’s pick a day and see where this goes.” Charles smiled, though he had no idea what would come from this date. It was worth it to try.

More than worth it to try.

**Author's Note:**

> Many endless thanks to my beta for their help.
> 
> Title also grabbed from the song by Fleetwood Mac


End file.
